Council backs local job-boosting measures

Job-fostering measures aimed at helping the little guys, including a hot dog vendor, all the way to big players like CareCore National LLC, cleared the Bluffton Town Council on Tuesday night.

Plugging a gap in a town code that kept a Bluffton couple from putting a hot dog stand in Old Town, the council voted 5-0 for a pilot project that will allow up to five mobile vendors selling prepared foods, or agricultural and seafood products, in Old Town Bluffton.

The council added the measure to the agenda at the meeting at Town Manager Anthony Barrett's request and passed it on first reading using the "pending ordinance doctrine," which means it takes effect immediately, before a final vote for adoption will come at the next council meeting on Sept. 14.

The council, also unanimously, gave final approvals to a local preference hiring system and a business incentive and a tax cap program.

A purchasing policy amendment restores a local hiring preference system eliminated under former Town Manager Bill Workman's administration. Beaufort County companies who sign up on a local vendor certification list will be eligible for the program.

Qualified local companies will get their actual bids reduced by 5 percent, for comparisons with other bids, up to amounts not to exceed $2,500, according to an engineering department background memo.

Also, for supply purchases or small jobs that cost less than $25,000 - over which the town must bid jobs or use the request for proposals process - the town will give first preference to those on the local vendor certification list, said Bob Fletcher, assistant town manager for engineering.

The other measure sets a cap on town business license tax collections, as CareCore National sought, so no fees will be charged on gross revenues above $25 million for any business. It also starts a business license incentive program for qualifying businesses that create and sustain jobs.

Qualifying new companies would get business license fees cut by 100 percent in their first year, 60 percent their second year and 33 percent their third year. Corporate headquarters, research and development and high technology businesses are among those eligible.

Care Core CEO Don Ryan had threatened the company, which is constructing a new building for an expansion next to its Buckwalter Place headquarters, would locate new jobs to the Colorado Springs if the town did not cap business license taxes.

At CareCore'stax category rate of $2 per $1,000 in gross revenue, its business taxes on $25 million in gross revenue will be capped at $50,000.

SUBHEAD:

Mobile vendors

The mobile vendor issue arose in June after a Bluffton couple, Richard and Debra Boulay, sought a business license to operate a hot dog stand in Old Town.

Milt Rhodes, town planning director, said town code does not specifically allow - or disallow - issuing a business license for a hot dog stand. He asked the Planning Commission for advice on what do to at its June 23 meeting. Most commissioners favored granting the request. But Commissioner Don Blair said the town would be "treading on dangerous ground" if it allowed things like "trinkets ... or black-velvet Elvis pillows or tie-dyed T-shirts."

After the meeting, Mayor Lisa Sulka said the council had directed Barrett to find a way to let the hot dog or similar vendors operate in Old Town.

"We're going to try. It's an experiment," Barrett said.

The business license amendment prohibits mobile vendors on private property or town rights of way without licensing approval by the town manager.

The pilot program will allow issuance of a three-month, renewable license. The license "may be changed or canceled for any reason, at any time, by the town manager," the code states.

Locations are limited to the Old Town areas including Calhoun Street north of Bridge Street and May River Road in the area the Old Town Historic District Code identifies as "Neighborhood Center," according to the code.

Other requirements include using "fully mobile units with operable wheels;" limited set-up, take-down and operating hours to 10:45 a.m.-7 p.m. in May through September and 10:45 a.m.-7 p.m. all other months; allowing no more than two mobile vending units on any single parcel and no more than two units licensed by the same business.

Subject to town approval, the Boulays in June said they have agreements to operate the stand for lunchtime sales on some days outside The Store, on the Lawrence Street side of the corner property fronting Calhoun Street, and other days outside the Habitat for Humanity resale store at Bluffton Road and Dr. Mellichamp Drive. But the Habitat store is outside the designated area.

"Boulay said Wednesday he would make arrangements to start operations as soon as a town license is issued.

In other action, the council:

Awarded $46,500 in accommodations tax grants for tourism promotion to five organizations. The grants give the requested amounts of $25,000 to the Bluffton Historical Preservation Society, $9,500 to the May River Theatre Co., $9,487 to the Old Town Bluffton Merchants Society, $7,000 to the Lowcountry Tourism Commission and $5,000 to the Historic Bluffton Arts and Seafood Festival.

Revised the town animal control ordinance to reflect changes made in Beaufort County's animal control ordinance.

Approved a recommendation to seek watershed management consultants to "expeditiously complete the May River Watershed Action Plan." The recommendation was made by the May River Waterbody Management Plan Implementation Committee at its July 28 meeting. The vote was 4-1, with Councilman Mike Raymond opposed.

Heard a request from Mark Kratochvil, owner of Dan's Fan City and representative of Plantation Business Park on U.S. 278, to change town rules so temporary signs facing U.S. 278 can be posted during the day to help business.

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It is good to see the Council to allow up to five vendors in town. It's encouraging to see that the notion of free enterprise has not been completely strangled as it is in many nearby localities. I must take offense with Mr. Blair's comment and concern about what may be offered for sale by vendors. If he has such delicate sensitivity about velvet Elvis', tie dye or other items of the like then he should not be involved in making decisions about businesses or maybe we should send him on patrol in town for his opinion about what is currently for sale. If we chose to allow businesses to operate only by their inventory I think that there are already enough distasteful offerings in Bluffton now. Can we begin closing shops with faux "Lowcounty antiques" or second-hand stores, bad restaurants? We should ask Mr. Blair.

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